THAI SPICE RESTAURANT - QUAKERS HILL, SYDNEY

Thai Spice Restaurant
14/216 Farnham Rd
Quakers Hill, Sydney

Mlady and her gym besties A & K went to one of their favourite Thai restaurants for one of their girlie catch-ups.

Thai Spice Restaurant is situated in the Farnham Road shopping centre at Quakers Hill.

The atmosphere is always relaxed and the service is friendly. The decor is authentic with some really gorgeous statues and is also beautifully decorated with flowers.

Inside is quite spacious. Tables are set apart with ample room.






















For entrée we had Thai style fish cakes made from minced fish mixed with Thai herbs and spices and served with sweet  chilli sauce. This for me - personally is a really lovely dish. It certainly has "bite" and goes oh so well with the sweet chilli sauce. We generally order this entrée every time and it has never let us down.





















Our next entrée were the Spring Rolls. These consisted of vegetables and vermicelli wrapped in crispy pastry served with sweet chilli sauce. Again - loving the sweet chilli sauce the Spring rolls were nice and crispy, as a good spring roll should be. Sweet chilli is such a versatile sauce that complements so many dishes.





















We each ordered a dish to share between us. K chose the Stir Fry Mixed Vegetables. Now, we know that vegetables can be bland - but that was not the case with this dish. Not sure what the sauce was - but this dish tasted great. There was a good variety of vegetables and it was truly colourful. With the mixed greens, capsicum and baby corn, plus a very tasty sauce, this made for a dish that we devoured.


There was a "specials board" and this caught the eye of A. She saw the entrée - Salt 'n' Pepper squid and ordered this as a main.
The wonderful  sweet chilli sauce accompanied this dish. The Salt 'n' Pepper squid was tender and was encased in a batter that was nice and crispy. This was quite a popular dish with us.





















Mlady ordered the Pad Thai. This had special Thai noodles with chicken, tofu, egg and bean sprout and crushed peanuts. This dish is pretty much a stable with Mlady and both A & K enjoyed this dish. It really is a hearty and flavoursome dish with wonderful textures and combinations - love tofu - that all go very well together. We also ordered some steamed rice which was beautifully fluffy and was served in an attractive silver container.





















The food at Thai Spice is really good and is very reasonably priced. The servings too are generous and their is a good variety to choose from. You can choose from the menu and/or from the Specials board.

 

MENULOG - ACROSS AUSTRALIA

Menulog - Curry Connection Indian Cuisine

We were recently given the opportunity to try Menulog for the first time courtesy of the nice people at Menulog (thanks Josh!). We decided to do this with a group while we were at a friends place for a catch up.

We never realised how easy it was.

We went to the Menulog web site and entered the suburb we were in. Instantly a whole batch of nearby restaurants appeared on the screen. We were then able to sort by availability on that day of the week - a Sunday - and whether we were picking it up or having it delivered.

We chose Indian by a simple vote among the group - then we easily sorted again by nearby Indian Restaurants listed, that delivered on Sundays. We had a few choices, looked at their menu's online and chose Curry Connection in Hornsby.

Then it's as easy as choosing your dishes, how many serves you want and any extra's.

We were all pretty hungry so we ordered plenty - and choosing was the biggest (in fact the only) challenge of this whole exercise.

Once complete we had the chance to check our order, confirm it and pay. Delivery was only $3 - which seemed a bargain but some places even deliver free on Menulog for orders over a certain amount.

We instantly received a confirmation of our order with a confirmation number. We also received an SMS again confirming the order, with the reference number, an expected delivery time and a contact number. It was extremely efficient and easy.

And of course our food arrived as planned. The first thing we did was check to see if it was all there - and it was. It was all still hot too. We then set it out and dug in. Of course we had over-ordered - but we do that a lot. All this meant was plenty of left-overs for the next days lunch - woo hoo!

Was Menulog easy - yes. Would we use it again - yes (and in fact we have already at another friends place!)

 

PIZZA OLLA - CAMMERAY, SYDNEY

Pizza Olla Pizza and Pasta Bar
Stockland Cammeray
450 Miller St
Cammeray, Sydney

Nestled in Cammeray is one of their local hidden treasures - Pizza Olla.

It's part of a growing restaurant district that is attracting more than just the locals.

With ample parking underneath in Stocklands it eliminates one challenge.

Your next challenge is whether to sit inside or outside (depending on the weather of course) and what to order from the extensive menu.

Pizza Olla pride themselves on the freshness and the range of their pizzas - but they also have great pasta, salads and desserts as well.

One of the big things about the pizza here at Pizza Olla is that you can have half and half pizzas. Our first pizza was half ras el hanout - chicken breast fillet marinated in Moroccan spice, grilled eggplant and Roma tomato topped with sesame seeds and wild rocket. The other half was peri peri prawn - tiger prawns marinated in Portuguese peri peri sauce with Spanish onion, chilli's, jalapenos served with mint yoghurt sauce on the side. Wow - both were amazing on a lovely thin base but the prawn was my favourite!

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Our next pizza was again a half/half with one part margherita - made from imported buffalina mozzarella cheese and herbs - which was delicious. We choose margherita at most pizza places - it's a great test and Pizza Olla passed well! The other half was bologna - lean home made beef bolognaise with Roma tomato, jalapenos and olives topped with sliced avocado. This was Mlady's favourite of the night because of the sauce which she raved about.

You can mix and match pasta's as well. Choose your pasta, your sauce and any extra's. We tried owner Georges favourite of spinach and ricotta ravioli with pesto sauce (made from fresh basil, roasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic) and then tossed with matadore (thinly sliced tenderloin lamb fillets sauteed in pesto sauce). This was amazing. The whole combination was great and the lamb was extremely tender.

At Pizza Olla the gelato is very popular - we noticed this on our visit. However the Malibu mango dessert pizza caught our eye. It was mango slices - infused with Malibu rum, passionfruit and then topped with slivered almonds and lemon gelato.

Yum - this was lovely. The Malibu was distinct and went so well with the mango. The base was thin and not overpowering and the lemon gelato contrasted nicely with the sweet toppings. So good!

Pizza Olla serves really good food with great flavours. Sauces are made in house and you can mix and match pizza bases, toppings and sauces. They have great pasta options as well - again with the mix and match opportunity. Service is friendly and efficient and the whole place has a very comfortable homey feel to it. Pizza Olla is all about food, friends and family! 

Sir and Mlady dined as guest of Pizza Olla. Special thanks to owners George and Charmaine. Thanks also to Restaurant Marketing Services for arranging our visit and to Jordan for looking after us so well on the night. 

CHEDI - NEWTOWN, SYDNEY

Chedi
74 King St
Newtown, Sydney

Chedi has been here for ten years - but if you think its stayed the same - think again. It has recently been completely redone - changed from a very casual uni student haunt to a more sophisticated but still relaxed restaurant. It oozes charm both inside and in its lovely leafy courtyard at the rear.


Inside it looks like a showroom lounge - nicely themed and very elegant.

Once you are seated, a picture is taken of your group as a memento of your evening - a nice touch!

Chedi is innovative Thai cuisine at its best. Whilst you can still get many typical Thai dishes there are also imaginative dishes that take it to a higher culinary level.

To start with, each person is given a lovely parcel of nibbles - beautifully wrapped and looking almost to good to open.

Chedi goes to a lot of trouble with little extras - and it also delivers on the quality of its food as well!

Our first dish was a beautifully fresh and vibrant scallop salad.

It consisted of plump juicy scallops, pickled watermelon, fresh shallots, chilli seeds, plain vinegar and castor sugar.

It had a spectacular look and smell to it - and tasted just as good!

We then moved on to chicken wings - but not your typical deep fried fare.

These were stuffed chicken wings filled with a combination of mixed mushrooms and layered in a mound of sticky rice.

Wow - these were again lovely and tasted as good as it looked.

We then moved on to the summer rolls - filled with prawns, mango, noodles and mint and bathed in a sweet vinaigrette dressing with scattered cashews garnishing the plate.

This was so light and so tropically fresh.

It again looked fantastic with a great mix of bright colours.

Our next dish was the stir fried crispy pork belly with chilli and basil.

A huge mound of delicious food arrived! The crispy pork belly was amazing and the combined flavours of the whole dish were great.

The broccoli mixed in added further colour and flavour. This dish was a real winner - if you love pork belly it's a must!

The most impressive dish of the night was next - the presentation of this was simply amazing! It was whole snapper in a thick sweet chilli based sauce. The fish carcass was curved around the plate with all its meat removed and piled high in the middle. We did not find a single bone either.

This dish looked so impressive and tasted fantastic. We'd rush back for this dish alone - and we could have it time and time again.

Our final main course was the soft shell crab with mango salad.

Wow - it was great!

We had an enormous mound of light, crisp, tender and moist inside food piled high in a bowl made from banana leaves.

We could again eat this over and over again!

We finished with fresh mango with sticky rice that had been cooked in coconut milk.

Mlady loves mango so we were off to a good start but it also came with a side serving of mango ice cream - double winner!

It was a fresh and refreshing end to a lovely meal.

Every meal at Chedi had unique flavours. They were all fresh and all melted in your mouth. It was one of the best Thai meals we have had and we thoroughly recommend dining here! The decor was also lovely and the service was attentive and charming.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Chedi. Also special thanks to Kwan from Chedi for arranging our visit and for looking after us so well on our visit.

SGT. SAMS - KINGS CROSS, SYDNEY

Sgt Sams
3 Kings Cross Rd
Darlinghurst, Sydney
Ph: 1800 748 726

Sgt Sams was a dine in restaurant but due to zoning restrictions it has now shifted to only doing home delivery.

Nevertheless, their great food is still available and if you live within their delivery zone you don't even need to leave your home to have it!

The best way to simply describe Sgt Sams is to say that they do comfort food at its best.

If you like ribs, flame grilled chicken, buffalo chicken wings, burgers and rich decadent desserts then this is your place to order from. The food is certainly great and even though you can't enjoy eating it there any more you can still at least order it for home delivery.

Our first entree of the night - from the starter or bucket section - was an old favourite of salt and pepper calamari.

Described as crispy calamari in a light tapioca batter served with smoked chipotle aioli, it certainly lived up to its description.

The calamari was light, juicy and tender and the quantity was generous.

We then moved on to our second starter of spicy buffalo chicken wings.

It was an interesting option as you get the choice of either Louisiana or BBQ sauce and also side dips of blue cheese and creamy ranch dressing.

These were sensational.

The rich tangy wonderful sauce was amazing and the wings were so tender and juicy.

The quantity was really good too - we were starting to get full after only having the entrees!

Sgt Sams has a wide variety of dishes available but their ribs are possibly their signature dish. There are several rib options available - pork or beef and half or full servings, I had the Sam’s “fall off the bone” BBQ beef ribs. I had a choice of  their legendary BBQ basting or chilli-BBQ basting and chose the latter.

These were exceptional - I could eat them all day! True to their word the meat did fall off the bone - it was that tender! The sauce was again great too! 

Mlady was again the more responsible one and decided on the grilled chicken salad thinking this would be lighter. It turned out to be a huge serving again - they don't leave you hungry here!

The salad came with tomato, cucumber, olives, onion, avocado, feta, cos lettuce and rocket and a generous serving of grilled chicken tenderloins.

She also added a char grilled corn on the cob which tasted as good as it looked!

We were bulging at this stage but just had to try their desserts.

We foolishly chose one each not realising that they were sharing sized! Mlady had the warm sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Wow - it was huge and delicious. This could seriously feed two or three people!

I chose the ice cream block with salted caramel, chocolate and pecans that was served with Belgian chocolate.

The chocolate was melted and when I poured it over the ice cream it set to a lovely rich crust.

Again this dessert could have fed a few people and again it was absolutely delicious.

Sgt Sams does a great job serving - or now delivering - indulgently delicious comfort food. They now only do home deliveries but it's something that people in their delivery area should certainly use. It's great food!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Sgt Sams. Special thanks to everyone at Sgt Sams for looking after us so well on the night and to Jai Evans of Evans Media for arranging our visit.